International Art Gallery & Custom Framing

Another first time customer here. I came because this place gets awesome 5-​star reviews on Unilocal,and every one of those reviews is merited. The people who staff this business are incredibly helpful, thoughtful, and welcoming. The prices are very, very reasonable. They helped me get two diplomas framed as a single piece, and it’s just gorgeous. I love the color of the mat and the quality of the frame. I plan on coming back and will recommend this place to my friends as well. Just a class act, all around.

Habib and Laurel are the best. They help you find the best frame for your item and they do it at the best price. I can’t recommend them more.

My job was small, cheap and easy — I already had a standard frame and mat and just needed the mat recut to fit my photo — but they were more than happy to help and even got it back to me the same day! Will be back when a more expensive project comes along.

Habib and Lauren did a great job preparing our picture. Habib also gave good recommendations regarding the frame. The price was very reasonable, and they were both very friendly — will definitely go back.

First time customer here — I’ve found my go-​to framing shop in DC. From the moment I brought my work in until the day Habib (owner) removed the brown wrapping paper from the completed job for inspection, I felt both taken care of as a customer and confident that my work was in good hands.
My piece was a 10+ year old newspaper cover. When I walked into International Art Gallery & Custom Framing, I was courteously offered assistance. One of Habib’s employees asked what I wanted to accomplish and she walked me through all of the steps. She showed me a number of different frames and mats, and offered creative suggests until I found a combination I was satisfied with. She also happily quoted me on every frame and matting option so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. At no time did I feel pressured to buy or select an option I was uncomfortable with.
I paid using a groupon, and much to my surprise, the employee didn’t bat an eye and continued to treat me like a human! (I’ve had bad experiences before at other DC framing establishments where, upon informing the them that I’d be partially paying with a groupon, there was a noticeable drop in customer service and attention to detail). This made my very happy — it also eased the cost of my framing, making the price quite reasonable.
I was also impressed with the lengths they go to get the job done. I opted for museum quality anti-​UV lamination and UV-​glass to prevent yellowing and decomposition. It turned out that the newspaper was too large for their in-​house lamination so they sent it out (at no extra cost) to meet my order. Although this resulted in a slight delay in my picked up time, I received a friendly email and apology notifying me about the delay and the reasoning why. Again, I knew my work was in good hands.
The final product was stunning, and the quality of work was consistent throughout. Even the wire and fasteners on the back are heavy duty and made of high quality material.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to my next project with International Art Gallery & Custom Framing.

I have used this business for custom framing and repair for a few times now. The service is absolutely exceptional, without breaking the bank. Quality framing for fine art with UV filtering glass is never going to be cheap, but their prices are reasonable and they help you figure out the absolute best combination for your piece. I was doing a more expensive job, but also had a little drawing I had bought on vacation for which I didn’t need an fancy frame. Habib found a nice compromise at an affordable price which made it look fantastic. Looking forward to continue working with them in the future.

I’ve always had customized frames from International Art Gallery for many years now (5+ years). Habib and Laurel have always been helpful and patient giving me ideas for my frame and for very reasonable prices as well.
They will send you email notification letting you know if you can pick-​up your frame and most of the time they can finish earlier than the promised.
The customer service here is terrific; everyone is so helpful, kind. I’d recommend it to anyone.

–Custom framing:
Habib did a fantastic job. I brought in a vintage map and he helped me choose a frame that worked best with the colors of the map. It was a quick turnaround and I was very happy with the end product. I shopped around at a few other locations and his prices seemed to be the lowest. When you add in the Groupon, it was a good deal.
–Frame salvaging:
My beautiful frame was destroyed when I moved and I wanted to salvage as much of it as possible because it had sentimental value. Habit managed to take my frame and convert it into two smaller frames. His workmanship was great and I’m happy with the result.
I would recommend Habib for either service.

I have been coming to the International Art Gallery for at least ten years whenever we have had special items in need of framing. Given the excellent experience I have had each and every time, this review is long overdue. Habib and his staff have a superb knowledge of their trade, and their in-​store selection of high-​quality sample frames is excellent and growing. What they do not have in stock, they can always order through catalog. They have an artist’s eye for selecting the best possible combination of mat and frame for each individual piece. I have always been pleased that Habib and his staff will work with you to select what is most appealing to the client, rather than taking over the project entirely and reflecting their own tastes. With that said, they are there for the client to provide honest feedback so that the best choice comes out in the end. Each job has always been completed on schedule, and each piece always looked perfect the first time, without ever needing modifications. Perhaps best of all is the value for money. I have been in a number of frame shops over the years and have done some comparison pricing, and I can honestly say that International Art Gallery blows away the competition. Let’s face it, framing is not cheap wherever you go, but I have consistently felt that I have gotten excellent quality at a very fair price at the International Art Gallery. I have been told that the Gallery’s approach has been to keep margins low, while keeping customers for life and expanding business through referrals. So I am hoping that this positive review helps get the word out that the International Art Gallery really is as good as I have described (or better).

I had an upcoming art show and the owner worked with me to create custom frames/​mattes and they turned out beautifully. He was accommodating, prompt and even gave me a little discount for getting so much. Definitely would go again for my next show.

I love this place. They have saved me more than once when someone suddenly feels like having something framed right-f*&king-now! They are courteous, professional and great to work with, with helpful suggestions and advice always. Now, go get that hideous velvet Elvis and throw a nice frame on it… You never know what might work. :)

Update (August 2014): I have brought several more items here for framing or frame repair, and the work has been excellent every time. Highly recommend this place.

Habib and Laurel are incredibly helpful and a joy to work with. I have brought in complicated projects with a specific time restriction on two different occasions, and they have produced incredible finished products both times. I cannot recommend them enough!

I chose to frame two prints here after taking them to three other locations in DC. The printed photos included a sunrise scene so there was a lot of pink and purple saturation throughout. Habib was the only professional that found a really remarkable mat color and frame to complement the saturation.
The service was prompt and friendly and the prices were far more reasonable than the other 3 framers I went to!

I’ve been working with Habib for over two years and plan to continue working with him for years to come. He’s super friendly, gives great recommendations and has always finished projects on time.
I first came to International Art Gallery for a project and was shopping around for prices and to see which vendors could offer me the creativity I was looking for. Habib not only gave me the best price, but provided me with several great options.

I recently had two paintings framed at IAG, and I am so happy with the beautiful framing and the service that I will absolutely return with any future framing needs. When I came to IAG with my paintings, I was quite nervous because the paintings are unique pieces and need to be handled with care. I needn’t have worried! Habib took his time, walking me through my different framing options until we settled on the matting and frames. When I came to pick up the finished pieces, there was a slight nick in the edge of one of the paintings. Habib noticed it immediately, and though it was very minor, he insisted on reframing the piece at his own cost. He said that he couldn’t let a piece leave his shop that was not perfect. And he was true to his word! Absolutely lovely and perfect.

Let me preface this by saying I am far from an art or framing connoisseur. Given that disclaimer, I am basing my review almost entirely on the service. I am waiting for my piece to be completed so this may change, but so far I have been very satisfied with IAG. They had a beautiful assortment of frames ranging from the more classic to more modern, to more ornate. The staff was very friendly, quick to try a lot of different frame types, and provided excellent advice.
The bottom line: great selection of frames, a wide variety of photos and prints, and very helpful staff.

I just came from there and had a very nice experience. All I needed was a wire for the back of an existing frame. One of the staffers there quickly took care of me, and when I opened my wallet, Habib informed me that there was no charge. I politely tried to insist, but he also insisted. It was only a wire and I wouldn’t have expected to pay much, but I still thought it was very kind of him to do that.
I also was impressed by the ambience and selection. I even liked the background music.
I look forward to returning and actually paying next time.

I’ve had over $ 1k of work done with IAG over the years and every single piece has been perfect. My partner and I travel a good deal and tend to buy a piece of art everywhere go. After a trip to Barcelona we needed two beautiful prints painted by a street artist framed and neither of us knew of a good framing store in the city. So I ran a Google search and IAG came up and was close to our home in Dupont so we went and from that first meeting we knew we found our amazing framing service.
Habib took his time to talk about the prints, our framing options, what we wanted in the finished product, how much we wanted to spend, where we were planning to hang it (natural vs artificial light) and according to my partner priced the work fairly. Let me be honest: framing is not cheap, but it’s worth it when the work is top notch and you want the art/​document to showcase beautifully and last for years.
Since then we’ve had multiple pieces framed, large and small, including important documents such as my partners doctoral degree and my MBA. Everything was handled with the same level of excellent customer service every time, all items came out beautifully and were ready on time, and we got more than what we paid for. If you’re looking for a framer, you can’t do any better than IAG.

I called this place to see if they had weekend hours, because I have walked past it often ON the weekend (when I have time to get something framed) and have seen it closed nearly every time. The girl who answered the phone was completely and utterly flabbergasted by this seemingly simple inquiry.
Me: Hello, do you have weekend hours?
Shopgirl: Umm, yes, we do, sometimes, um, this Sunday we will be here.
Me: So do you have regular weekend hours or do you just open sporadically?
Shopgirl: Umm, well, it depends, uhhhhh, on how busy we are, it’s not consistent, but ummmm, we will be here from 11 – 4 this Sunday.
Me: So, no Saturday hours this weekend or will you be there?
Shopgirl: Oh, well, uhhhhhh, sometimes we are here on Saturdays. We will be here this Saturday (fails to mention hours). Ummmmm…
Me: Thank you. (I hang up, confused and exasperated, imagining this person also helping me pick a frame out, which is causing my brain to ache with the potential frustration of that task…)
I haven’t gotten anything framed here, so I cannot comment on the quality of the work they do, but the above confusion really turned me off. If you cannot give me a straight answer about when you will be open how can I know when to frequent your business? I would suggest that management reconsiders their random weekend hours and instructs their staff as to how to give potential customers a more concrete answer.